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Offshore Sportsbook Work Scene Info, Afterhour Events, and subjects of interest to our Costa Rican posters. No porn allowed.enThu, 21 Mar 2019 18:11:50 GMTvBulletin60http://www.therxforum.com/images/anamorph/misc/rss.pnghttp://www.therxforum.com/
Local Currency Shortage Pushes Interest Rates Uphttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1134762&goto=newpost
Tue, 19 Mar 2019 19:27:56 GMTIn Costa Rica, the government’s strong need for financing and the Central Bank’s exchange rate...In Costa Rica, the government’s strong need for financing and the Central Bank’s exchange rate interventions have been putting pressure on the local financial market, pushing up passive rates in Colones.
The decrease in liquidity in Colones generated by the pressure exerted by the government and the Central Bank in the local market is the main reason behind the upward trend in passive rates in local currency.

Between the beginning of December 2018 and the middle of March this year, the Basic Passive Rate (PBS), which is an average of the collection rates in Colones of financial institutions with terms of 150 to 210 days, has reported a 0.35% increase, going from 5.85% to 6.20%.
According to executives of the Costa Rican financial sector, the interventions of the Central Bank in the exchange market, through the sale of dollars and the withdrawal of Colones, is causing upward pressure on passive rates in local currency.

For Hernán Varela, manager of Portfolio Management at Banco Lafise, “… Private entities that are offering credit in colones, have to compete in the colones capture market, which is less liquid than dollars, so rates tend to be higher. In addition to this, the Central (Bank) has interfered in the market by selling dollars and withdrawing circulating colones, this has undoubtedly squeezed the market.”
On the other hand, Adrián Álvarez, assistant manager of Coopenae, explained to Nacion.com that “… several factors keep the passive rates, in colones, increasing. First, they have observed investors migrating to a longer-term horizon. That, coupled with the need for resources from the Central Government, which given its risk offer very attractive returns for investors, has pushed the increase.”
Rossy Duran, Finance Manager of the Bank of Costa Rica, said that “… one of the main reasons in the movement of the basic rate is because of increased requirements to capture the different intermediaries of the financial system, and particularly because of a recent trend of the transfer of wealth to investments in dollars.”
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1134762Limon: The New Gateway Port For Cocaine Leaving Costa Ricahttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1134758&goto=newpost
Tue, 19 Mar 2019 17:45:36 GMTLimon has long had a reputation as a remote Costa Rican port handling exports of of pineapples,...Limon has long had a reputation as a remote Costa Rican port handling exports of of pineapples, bananas, sugar, coffee, and … cocaine.
While the nearby Port of Moin has undergone a complete expansion and renovation recently, including brand new scanning technology, Limon has been left behind — but not by astute drug smugglers.One of the largest drug busts ever in Europe happened last October, when six tons of cocaine were found hidden among bananas, bananas that set sail for Europe from Limon, Costa Rica. The outfit behind this shipment had greased the wheels by sending 70 containers of fruit from Costa Rica, thereby creating the impression that they were a legitimate fruit export company.

Then in June, 2018, 300 kilograms of cocaine were found tucked in a shipping container’s vent ducts. Soon, 133 kilograms of cocaine were found hidden in pineapples bound for Europe. That same month, 400 kilograms of cocaine in suitcases were discovered in a ship’s bow. All these ships were flying under different country’s flags. All of them departed from Limon on the Caribbean coast.
According to Insight Crime, “As Costa Rica’s role in the transshipment of drugs has increased, traffickers have exploited Limon’s remote and poorly managed port.” Cocaine cargo bound for Europe has spiked in recent years. Why is that?
European demand for drugs in general, and cocaine in particular, has grown tremendously in recent years. Street prices are higher in Europe than in the United States. Colombian drug traffickers are being squeezed out by Mexican cartels, and are resorting to the European pipeline for cocaine sales.
The scanning equipment at the Moin Port has not worked properly since 2016, meaning that shipping containers must be opened and inspected for drugs manually. It’s much easier to just ship through Limon. Yesterday, just off the coast of Costa Rica, the Coast Guard captured a vessel containing 600 kilos of cocaine, and 28 packets of marijuana. Three Colombians were arrested. The US Coast Guard and Navy assisted Costa Rica authorities.
Spokesmen from the Costa Rican Coast Guard report that there has been a significant increase in drug trafficking leaving Costa Rica, much of it sailing out of Limon.
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1134758Akamai Opens New Facility in Costa Ricahttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1134757&goto=newpost
Tue, 19 Mar 2019 17:45:01 GMTThe digital technology company, Akamai, inaugurated this Monday, Match 18 its new facility in...The digital technology company, Akamai, inaugurated this Monday, Match 18 its new facility in Costa Rica, located in Roble Corporate Center. Here, it will gather all its operations in the country as part of the expansion of its services, which are exported from Costa Rica to the rest of the world.
Akamai, established in Costa Rica in 2012, now has 300 employees. It foresees to increase its payroll up to 30% by the end of 2019. The company’s facilities are distributed in three floors of the corporate center.
From Costa Rica, Akamai offers cybersecurity solutions and gives technical support to companies, which upgrade internet connections and worldwide data traffic thanks to algorithms and software.
The Minister of Foreign Trade, Dyalá Jiménez, expressed that this company is an ideal space for specialized IT Costa Rican human talent. “Since its establishment, we have noticed Akamai’s sustained growth and we are glad to know that such a specialized company has found in Costa Rica a place to stay. This expansion reflects the exceptional workforce that our country has, where more people are being trained with highly appreciated values. We will multiply our efforts to continue strengthening education, services, and the country’s stability so more companies like Akamai choose Costa Rica as its operations center.”

Andrés González Hernández, Director and Site Manager at Akamai Costa Rica, thinks that this new facility consolidates Akamai’s operations in the country, thanks to the trust given by the company’s directors to the Costa Rican talent, which has exponentially expanded the services offered in the region.
Eric Scharf, CINDE’s Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: “Costa Rica is well-known for its highly qualified human talent. An example of this is that more than 300 multinational companies export goods and services of high-added valued, worldwide. Last year, CINDE reported that these companies generated 12,961 new job positions. Our compromise is to continue supporting companies like Akamai to continue growing in our country and to keep attracting other new enterprises that bring qualified opportunities to Costa Ricans.”
Those interested in applying to a job position in Akamai can go to jobs.akamai.com. The company looks for professionals in cloud security, IT, technology project management, IT support, among others.
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1134757Demand of Flights to Costa Rica Surpasses Expectations of European Airlineshttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1134298&goto=newpost
Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:10:00 GMTThe airlines that connect Europe with Costa Rica – seven of them through direct flights- expressed...The airlines that connect Europe with Costa Rica – seven of them through direct flights- expressed their satisfaction to the Costa Rican Tourism Board regarding the results obtained in the past months as a result of their operations in the country; they also voiced their surprise with the acceptance that the destination has had in the markets served. “Back in 2006, Costa Rica only had one indirect flight to Europe, now, there are 8 airlines that offer flights between Europe and Costa Rica, seven of them directly and one of them with a stop, which is evidence of the big step the country has given as a result of its strategy to attract new airlines”, commented the Minister of Tourism, María Amalia Revelo.

Revelo met with representatives of Lufthansa, KLM, Air France, Edelweiss and Condor; she affirmed that since Costa Rica is one of the destinations that generates best results for these companies in the region, they have the intention of continuing growing in the near future.
A total of 414,722 tourists arrived in Costa Rica by air in January, 2019, representing a 9.2% increase in comparison to the same month of 2018; out of this total, 45,643 correspond to European tourists, which means 4,2% more than in January 2018. “These numbers obligate both the public and private sector to continue working towards sustainability and the quality of the tourist product offered for the benefit and progress of the communities that depend on this industry”, stated the Minister.
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1134298How to be Exempted From Luxury Home Tax in Costa Ricahttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1134297&goto=newpost
Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:09:06 GMTBy law #8683 was a created to implement a Luxury Home Tax for all houses in Costa Rica where the...By law #8683 was a created to implement a Luxury Home Tax for all houses in Costa Rica where the construction has a value higher than one hundred million colons (approximate USD $200,000.00). All owners with a luxury home were enforced to submit a value statement in 2010 that would be valid for three years. The tax Ministry created a value database with the parameters to calculate the proper value so there will be uniform criteria to do so. Similarly, the minimum tax amount is adjusted each year increasingly so during 2018, homes with houses having a value less than one hundred twenty-nine million colons – approximate USD $227,000.00- are not subject to tax.
This tax has brought much confusion, even for the Tax Ministry itself that seems not to have a centralized department who is responsible for managing the tax. The government has failed to properly inform that under the law owners are only liable to pay the tax for residential houses that are used in a habitual, occasional or recreational manner. This means that if a Luxury House is empty or cannot be used to live because it has been damaged then there is no obligation to pay the tax during the entire time that this situation remains. Likewise, if a real estate developer builds luxury homes the tax isn’t due until they are sold and someone happens to live in them.
Other possible scenarios would be when a luxury home is used exclusively as offices or converted to a small hotel, bed & breakfast and similar, or the Government classifies it as a Historic Heritage site. In this case, the obligation to pay the tax disappears, as provided in article 13 of the Regulations to the Tax Luxury Homes. What is not clear is how the disenrollment is made in front of the Tax Ministry, as neither the institution seems to have a centralized system for the collection and management of the tax department. I have a client who owns a luxury home for which the tax was paid until 2012. He had lost payment receipts. Also, the house was damaged during 2014 making it impossible to inhabit.

One day I visited the Department of Tax Evaluations in San Jose, where they confirmed that the tax was paid until 2012, but did not provide any document proving so, indicating that could be done by a different department elsewhere in San Jose. We were also indicated to eliminate any future luxury tax over the property subject it had to be done in the Tax Ministry of Alajuela because there was the property located. Two days later we went to the other department in San Jose, LA LLACUNA building. There they told us we should go to the Department of Tax Ministry in San Jose which we thought was a joke. Then we indicated that we were there because the other department had sent us.
It turns out that they finally accepted our request and were told that the copies of the receipts would be ready two days later … and so it was. We then presented the request for disenrollment on that luxury home tax in front of the Tax Ministry in Alajuela, where documents were accepted without a problem. However, they said that “if you had filed this in San Jose they would have sent us the info by email.” Then we told them that we were sent there by San José officials. In conclusion, we can say that in the end, we achieved the procedures required, for which much time was required during two different days, as well as to visit three different buildings that belong to the same Ministry.
It is important to notice that other circumstances might lower the amount of tax to be paid. If the construction’s value matches the value for the tax to be imposed, then the land value needs to be added. However, if part of the land is being used to raise crops or other agricultural reasons the tax can be lowered. Also when part of the house is being used as offices or to run a business then that part of the construction can be exempted from the tax payment. In any case, there are different professionals that can provide an accurate evaluation according to the Government’s parameters to see if the construction value is below or above the limit imposed by the Tax Authority.
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=11342972019 Cost of Living Stats for Costa Rica Vs USAhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1134296&goto=newpost
Tue, 12 Mar 2019 15:07:09 GMTWhen people are trying to decide whether to move/retire to a foreign country – or even visit a...When people are trying to decide whether to move/retire to a foreign country – or even visit a foreign country – the number one question asked is, Can I Afford It? The latest cost of living statistics are now out for Costa Rica, courtesy of Numbeo, and they discovered that the cost of living for Costa Rica in 2019 is 26.81% lower than in the United States. In 2018 Costa Rica’s rate was 23.08% lower than USA.
For many expats these statistics have little value because they came seeking an improvement in their quality of life, not to save money. They speak of sunsets, beaches, national parks, beautiful people, fresh fruits and vegetables year round, incredible wild animals, fabulous weather, superlative health care, a stable government, and other benefits they feel are priceless. Still, it’s helpful to have a line-by-line comparison of prices, available by accessing either numbeo.com or expatistan.com for the latest numbers.
Numbeo collected information from people living in Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia and San Jose. They discovered that the Cost of Living Index for San Jose is 43.62% lower than that of New York City, placing San Jose 217th place out of 441 cities in the world. Obviously, life outside the capital city is even less expensive. Previous studies found that Costa Rica is the most expensive country in Central America, so if Cost of Living is the only concern, other countries offer more to expats.
Costa Rica is one of a handful of Latin American countries where it is safe to drink the water, but amazingly, San Jose has the 5th most expensive bottled water in the world!

Here is a brief summary of the difference in Cost of Living between USA and Costa Rica:
Consumer Prices in USA are 36.54% higher than in Costa Rica.
Rent Prices are in USA are 151.36% higher than in Costa Rica.
Restaurant Prices are 59.18% higher in USA than in Costa Rica.
Groceries are 39.94% higher in USA than in Costa Rica.
Local Purchasing Power is 158.97% higher in USA than in Costa Rica.
For the complete list of price differences between your home city and key cities of Costa Rica, access Numbeo’s website. They have other helpful information about Costa Rica, including property prices, crime stats, traffic, health care costs, etc. They also welcome information from those living in towns not yet in their survey.
Expats love to complain about how prices have gone up in recent years in Costa Rica, but the Numbeo stats indicate that this tiny country remains a great bargain, though perhaps not the cheapest.
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1134296Is Costa Rica in an Insect Apocalypsehttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133971&goto=newpost
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 17:06:00 GMTThe world is on a path to becoming almost insect free, according to the latest study published by...The world is on a path to becoming almost insect free, according to the latest study published by the Journal of Biological Conservation, who declared the 2.5 percent rate of insect annual loss as “shocking”. “It is very rapid. In 10 years you will have a quarter less insects, in 50 years you will have half less, and in 100 years you will have none,” said scientist Francisco Sanchez-Bayo, author of the study.
The loss will tragically impact birds, reptiles, amphibians and fish that eat insects to live. Said Sanchez-Bayo, “If this food source is taken away, all these animals starve to death.” He cites Puerto Rico as an example where a recent study revealed a 98 percent decline in ground insects over the last 35 years, and a dramatic reduction in the number of animals who rely on them as a source of food.
The Costa Rican national park La Selva was included in the research for this study, and it was discovered that despite this being a “protected” area, the park was also suffering from rapid insect loss. The study concluded that although the warning signs of plummeting insect populations have been known for years, the extent of the potentially catastrophic crisis had not been well understood until now.

What is causing this insect apocalypse? Scientists blame many factors including use of pesticides, habitat loss, and most alarmingly: global warming. The average high temperature in the rainforest has increased by 4 degrees Fahrenheit (2.2 degrees Celsius) in recent years, and bugs are unable to control their internal body heat and die.
Scientists tell us that insects are essential for the proper functioning of all ecosystems, as food for other creatures, and as pollinators and recyclers of nutrients. The new study incorporates unusually strong language, which Sanchez-Bayo claims is not alarmist. “We really wanted to wake people up. When you consider that 80 percent of the biomass of insects has disappeared in 25-30 years, it is a big concern.”
According to this latest study, insects are going extinct at a rate 8 times faster than mammals, birds and reptiles, yet many other animals rely on them for food, so they are crucial to the whole ecosystem structure. One entomologist described a future on earth as a flowerless world with silent forests, a world of dung and rotting carcasses in cities and roadsides with no beetles to process them – a world of collapse and decay.
Harvard biologist E.O. Wilson sums up the importance of bugs to our world by calling them “The little things that run the world.”
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133971Limón Becomes a Dynamic Logistic Platform to Companies and Investorshttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133970&goto=newpost
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 17:04:58 GMTThe Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE), organized an event to analyze the new...The Costa Rican Investment Promotion Agency (CINDE), organized an event to analyze the new opportunities that Limón offers from a logistic perspective for multinational and national companies, thanks to the most recent investments in the area. All this in the framework of the inauguration of the new container terminal operated by APM Terminals.
Jorge Sequeira, Managing Director of CINDE, explained: “The country’s new investment obtained through APM’s container terminal, will allow the Costa Rican trade to increase 23% and at the same time reduces the cost of transportation up to 40%. All the investments that are being made in ports and airports will allow us to improve our global competitiveness in logistics, which will potentially result in more investment and quality jobs.”
Dyalá Jiménez, Minister of Foreign Trade, commented: “This activity allowed us to present the country’s potential in multimodal logistics chains and their impact in non-traditional communities for future investments. APM’s new container terminal will face open new challenges in Limón and promote more foreign investment outside the metro area. “

More than 100 people participated in the activity, including representatives of logistics, life sciences, as well as light manufacturing companies, industrial park executives, government representatives, mayors, among others.
The Commercial Manager of APM Terminals in Latin America, Walter Joos, highlighted that the new operation of the terminal, as well as its international prestige, will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the development of logistics services offered by the country, from Limón.
Costa Rica has more than 300 multinational companies operating in the services sector, life sciences, digital technologies, advanced and light manufacturing. More than 105,000 Costa Ricans have a quality job thanks to these companies. Only during 2018, they generated 12,961 new positions.
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133970Father of copilot rescues his own son following private plane crash in Costa Ricahttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133969&goto=newpost
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 17:04:17 GMTImage:... Recovery efforts following Monday's plane crash. (Via MSP.)

Edwin Castro said he was sitting at his desk Monday morning when he received a call every parent dreads: His son was in danger.
As Edwin learned on the phone call, Mairon Castro had been the first officer on a private flight that had crashed by the Alfredo González Flores bridge, which spans the Virilla River near Tobías Bolaños International Airport.
Edwin, who works as the Chief of Operations of Metropolitan Police in San José, received permission from his bosses to join rescue efforts at the scene of the accident, he said in a statement issued by the the Public Security Ministry (MSP).
There, he says he personally helped remove Mairon from the wreckage — and travelled with him to the hospital, where doctors said he had escaped the crash with nothing more than cuts and bruises.
Eladio Salazar, the other pilot and the flight’s only other occupant, also survived the crash, MSP said.
“When I arrived, they had just removed one pilot from the plane, and my son was still in the plane,” Edwin Castro said. “We were able to rescue him — I personally helped with the rescue — and removed him from the crash site.”
“We were flown to Mexico Hospital, where he was immediately taken to the trauma floor. There, they verified that all he had suffered were cuts and bruises.”
The Air Surveillance Service and National Police had been dispatched in response to the Monday morning crash of a Piper PA-34-200T Seneca II owned by Prestige Wings, a company that offers charter flights in Costa Rica. Recovery efforts following Monday's plane crash. Via MSP.

Prestige Wings could not immediately be reached for comment.
Edwin Castro said his son remains under observation at the hospital, but that he may be released later Monday afternoon.
“Thank God it was just a scare, and that nothing more happened,” he said.
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133969Droughts and High Temperatures are Expected this Month in Costa Rica as a Result of El Niñohttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133968&goto=newpost
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 17:03:23 GMTThe effects of El Niño have already been felt in the past few months in Costa Rica, particularly...The effects of El Niño have already been felt in the past few months in Costa Rica, particularly in the Caribbean and North Zone of the country were these months usually present rainfall and the deficit of rain ranged between 60% to 75% in January making it the second driest January registered for the province of Limon.
Initially it was expected that the phenomenon would increase rainfall in these areas of the country causing even floods, however, so far, the effect has been the opposite.
Alexander Solís, President of the National Emergency Commission, informed that the institution has destined over $6.5 million USD to handle the damages caused and expected as a result of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENOS) during the upcoming months.
President Carlos Alvarado, recalled that back in October 2018, the government signed a directive to create a Permanent Attention Committee formed by 12 institutions under the coordination of the National Emergency Commission (CNE), focused in monitoring events, evaluating impacts and guiding actions. With special attention to the agriculture activities, including fishing and aquaculture”.

Guaranteeing water supply, the adequate attention of health problems and the support of the agriculture sector, particularly small and medium size producers are priority to avoid the situation from escalating into an extreme emergency.
The phenomenon has been confirmed internationally and it is expected that it will continue at least through the first semester of 2019.
March, a month that is usually hot, will have higher temperatures this year anywhere from 1 to 3 degrees more, affecting specially the Central Valley and the Pacific Coast.
The rationing of water supply has already affected several communities in the country.
El Niño is a climate pattern that has an impact on ocean temperatures, the speed and strength of ocean currents, the health of coastal
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133968French family in Costa Rica that had been quarantined for measles leaves hospitalhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133967&goto=newpost
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 17:02:48 GMTA French family that had spent more than a week in quarantine in Costa Rica with measles was ...A French family that had spent more than a week in quarantine in Costa Rica with measles was discharged, although the trio has to remain in the country, the government agency in charge of public hospitals said Friday.
The three French citizens, one of whom was a 5-year-old child, were able to leave the hospital in Puntarenas on Friday, the press office of the Costa Rica Social Security (CCSS) Fund stated. They had been quarantined in the hospital since Feb. 20.
“They left hospital and were transferred to a condo where they are currently residing,” CCSS said.
The condo is located in Santa Teresa, a beach town in Puntarenas on the Nicoya Peninsula.
The family has to remain in Costa Rica until March 6 on doctor’s orders. On that date, they will return to France, the source from the CCSS said.
The daily La Nación published images of the messages of thanks the French family had left in the hospital where they spent their quarantine.
“Thank you for helping us to carry on smiling,” read one of the two messages that they wrote in Spanish.
The three French people, who were not identified by name, entered Costa Rica on Feb. 18 and traveled the following day to Santa Teresa, where the child presented with symptoms of measles.
The child had not been vaccinated against the disease, which had been eradicated in Costa Rica since 2006.
The parents incubated the measles virus but did not present with symptoms, except for the father, who had “a little fever,” according to the Ministry of Health.
The three were able to leave quarantine after it was certain that they had recovered from the illness.
Measles is a highly contagious disease that causes foot rashes, itching, red and weepy eyes, coughing, high fever and muscle pain.
It can be easily transmitted via drops of saliva that a contagious individual releases through coughing or sneezing.
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133967Will the Voters Send the Trump Train Into 2025http://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133966&goto=newpost
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 17:02:12 GMTThe DOW Jones stock market hit 26,000 once again, unemployment remains historically low under...The DOW Jones stock market hit 26,000 once again, unemployment remains historically low under 4-percent, China appears to be buckling under to President Donald Trump’s demands for fair trade policies, North Korea eyes an economic renaissance if they dump their nuclear weapons program and Russian President Putin clearly is the biggest threat to world peace.
President Trump owns the economy of 2019-2020 as ‘Made in the USA’ is making a stunning comeback. Everywhere you look there is President Trump on the world stage working to make and keep “America First.” The Trump Show is the best soap opera on TV these days complete with international intrigue, suspense, jealously, backstabbing friends and enemies and drama … lots of daily drama.
Drama Queen U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is now chairman of the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence and as such he is leading the Democratic charge to remove President Trump from office. This loose cannon wakes up every morning with vengeance seeking revenge for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s loss to President Trump. Nothing has changed on this front. Nothing — so far — has come close to removing this president from office, but yet they press on while accomplishing nothing for the American people on issues of healthcare, abortion, immigration or national security, etc., etc!
The Democrats prefer to spend their time on such things as attempting to block the president’s declaration of a “national emergency” concerning the southern Mexico/USA border and the thousands of illegals now attempting to enter the USA anyway they can – legally or illegally. This is a total waste of time and resources seeing that the U.S. Senate — controlled by Republicans — would never pass such a bill and if they did the president would veto it right to the Oval Office trash can.
In another interesting development concerning abortion a new Marist Poll – commissioned by the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization — reveals a dramatic change in public opinion after all the hoopla following the state of New York passing a new law allowing late-to-full-term abortions that was proudly announced by far-left Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

The poll found that pro-choice and pro-life Americans are now evenly split at 47-percent each. Another Marist Poll from only one-month ago showed a 17-point gap favoring pro-choice — 55-percent to 38-percent. The survey also showed that 80-percent of Americans now support abortion only within the first three months of pregnancy, a change of five points from last month’s poll.
In another complete waste of time, blue states such as California and New York, are filing lawsuit challenges to the constitutionally required state-by-state Electoral College that determines who wins the presidency — not the popular vote. These lawsuits will eventually and most assuredly be considered unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court. The Electoral College is here to stay. To change the U.S. Constitution is a long-drawn out process that in this political environment would never get off the ground in any meaningful way.
The Democrats are reeling over the ever growing likelihood they will not win back the presidency in 2020 – no strong candidates and no message other than progressive socialist tax and spend nonsense. The Senate will remain Republican and the Democrats may well lose control of the U.S. House of Representatives which would unleash President Trump to go forward where no president has ever gone.
It’s all up to the voters. If the economy stays on track President Trump will leave office on Jan. 20, 2025.About the Author Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.
Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133966Tennessee “Old-boys-club” on illicit Costa Rica tripshttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133965&goto=newpost
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 17:01:19 GMTREDAQTED – Disgraced former Tennessee judge Casey Moreland...REDAQTED – Disgraced former Tennessee judge Casey Moreland told U.S. federal prosecutors other Nashville judges and attorneys traveled with him to Costa Rica on trips which became part of a federal investigation because he said attendees regularly hired prostitutes and used marijuana and some of the attorneys later had cases before Moreland.Nashville Judge Casey Moreland was booked into the Grayson County, Ky., jail on March 28, 2017. (Photo: Grayson County (Ky.) Detention Center) According to the a court document obtained by The Tennessean shows that Moreland cooperated with federal investigators and provided details about “trips taken out of the country with Nashville attorneys and judges.”
Travel documents from Costa Rica’s immigration servcie show Nashville Criminal Court Judge Monte Watkins, General Sessions Judge Aaron Holt and Moreland entered and left the country on the same days in January 2013. Watkins and Moreland traveled again to Costa Rica in December 2016 on the same dates, according to the government documents. The federal court records do not identify the persons who allegedly participated in or had knowledge of the conduct described by former judge Moreland.
Federal prosecutors said “all of the attendees possessed compromising information on Moreland, as he did on them …. fosteringan atmosphere of cronyism and favoritism.”
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133965UN Experts on Prevention of Torture Visit Costa Rican Prisons to Assess Inmate Treatmenthttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133964&goto=newpost
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 17:00:11 GMTThe Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or...The Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (“SPT”) of the United Nations (UN) is visiting Costa Rica to evaluate the conditions and treatment given to prisoners in the different prisons in the country.
Members of the SPT will remain in the country through March 14. “During its mission, the Subcommittee intends to visit prisons, police stations, detention facilities for women and minors, detention facilities for migrants, as well as psychiatric hospitals. The Subcommittee will also hold meetings with state authorities and with Costa Rica’s National Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture. It will also meet with members of civil society to discuss how to prevent torture and ill-treatment, and improve the conditions of detention for persons deprived of their liberty in Costa Rica”, explains the press release.

“Costa Rica was one of the first states to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture, and had been involved in initial negotiations of it since the 1980s. The time is now right to evaluate Costa Rica’s commitment to its obligations under the Optional Protocol,” said Roberto Fehér Perez, head of the delegation.
The Subcommittee is mandated to visit all States parties to the Optional Protocol. States parties have an obligation to establish a monitoring body, known as the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM), within one year of ratifying the Optional Protocol. Costa Rica ratified the Optional Protocol in 2005, and appointed its NPM in 2015, which is attached to the Ombudsman’s Office.
At the end of the visit, the Subcommittee will present its confidential preliminary observations to the government of Costa Rica.
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133964President Alvarado visiting tech hubs in United States seeking investments in Costa Ricahttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133963&goto=newpost
Thu, 07 Mar 2019 16:59:22 GMTThe president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, will travel to technology centers on the west coast...The president of Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, will travel to technology centers on the west coast of the United States on Sunday, where he will seek investments from companies in the sector, the government announced Tuesday.
During the visit, which will last until March 15, Alvarado will visit Seattle, San Francisco and Silicon Valley, where he will meet with representatives of technology companies and coffee buyers. He will also give a lecture at Stanford University on Costa Rica’s newly launched plan to decarbonize the economy.
“Throughout the next week, I will be traveling to California and Seattle to meet with several very important companies that already have big operations in Costa Rica or that want to come to the country,” said Alvarado in a statement from Casa Presidencial. “The objective will be the attraction of investment, welfare and employment to the country.
The agenda includes meetings with Amazon, Pop Digital, MicaSense, Microsoft, HP, Intel and Google to discuss the expansion of their operations in Costa Rica.
In San Francisco, he will visit the Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution at the World Economic Forum. In San Jose, Calif., he will visit the research center of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), according to Casa Presidencial.
]]>Costa Rica and Offshore Bookie Chit ChatRX drewhttp://www.therxforum.com/showthread.php?t=1133963